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THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
Vol. 3 Edition 19
Passing on the passion
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on the bus Dialysis trips painful for Ridgetown woman
By Jim Blake jim@chathamvoice.com
Jim Blake /The Chatham Voice
Gord Pugh shares a laugh with members of the junior judges taking part in this year’s RetroFest. Gord purchased the 1971 Volkeswagon last year. The vehicle was been driven by Montreal Canadiens legend Rocket Richard and also has autographs of members of the Habs Stanley Cup winning teams. Hagerty Insurance sponsored the junior judging program in which 15 tyoung people learned about what makes a classic vehicle special. For more RetroFest coverage see Page 10.
It isn’t easy to rile Dee Goldhawk. The Ridgetown woman is legally blind, requires dialysis and has cancer but despite those issues, she usually greets people with a smile and a “somebody else has it worse” attitude. You could say she’s taken the bumps and bounces of life but one set of bumps has finally gotten her over the edge. Goldhawk uses the Inter Urban Transit System three times a week to travel from home to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance for her dialysis but during the past two years the roads have deteriorated to the point where it’s more like a wagon train that 21st century transportation. After a few phone calls (she’s more than persistent) I took her up on her offer to ride the bus last week. “At least you showed up,” she said with a smile as I arrived at her home. “I’ve made the offer to the mayor for the past year but he’s too busy,” she said. “I even told him I’d pay the $5 just so he’d
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know what I’m talking about.” What she’s talking about is a bone-jarring 90-minute ride through Ridgetown, along the Ridge Road to Blenheim, from Blenheim to Charing Cross and into Chatham along Lacroix Street. When I board the bus at 9:30, the only other people aboard are Dan (Bourdeau) the driver and a young man named Ken who’s travelling to Chatham for physiotherapy. While Ken and Dee take the forward facing “bucket” seats, I opt for a bench seat across the aisle. It was a rookie mistake. The bus took a turn, hit a bump and I almost ended up on the floor. “I should have warned you about that,” Ken laughed. “You might be slipping around a bit.” At our next stop, we pick up Mary, who travels to Chatham just about every day. The regulars all know each other and begin chatting with Dan about television shows and other things. “He’s really good,” Dee says as Dan checks to make sure the temperature is fine.
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